My heart is heavy as I write this. What a terrible week of news to hear and read! The Hamas horrific attack on Israel has unnerved us all. It was traumatizing to watch the evening news each day and to see the slaughter of innocent children and women. It is so hard to understand why people would do such brutal and violent actions against anyone but particularly women and children.
I had a friend call me midweek challenging me to explain the horrific situation and ask me why “my God” would allow such things to happen? While I reminded him that “my” God was also “his” God, as he is a faithful Catholic, I did not try to explain away the violence but shared his deep concern for the horrid acts of violence. What was even more disturbing for me was that this time last year I was in the Holy Land with 50 parishioners leading a pilgrimage and remember well many of the places destroyed by violence.
Along with you, I continue to watch the daily updates with pain and apprehension as I fear this war will escalate even further. As Israel vow retaliation, I believe that violence begets violence. Retaliation begets retaliation. Hatred begets hatred. There will be little accomplished by slaughtering more children in the name of retaliation. I beg with Pope Francis “’the immediate release’ of more than 100 Israeli hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza and, at the same time, expressed his deep concern at the “total siege” imposed by Israel on Gaza, where 2.3 million people, living under constant Israeli aerial bombardment, are now deprived of electricity, food, water and medical supplies.” So much violence and war! It is confusing and disorienting to see and hear.
As Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times said well this week, “Israel will face hard choices in the coming weeks; its challenge will be to respond to war crimes without committing war crimes.” And Pope Francis said, “Terrorism and extremisms do not help to reach a solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, [they] only fuel hate, violence, vendetta and cause suffering to one side and the other. The Middle East does not need wars but peace, a peace built on justice, on dialogue, on the courage of fraternity.”
So what are we to do? During the week I gave a homily about how Jesus gave a parable about a persistent neighbor who requested something in the middle of the night from his friend. Jesus said that the friend should get up and give the requested bread to his friend if not out of friendship but out of his persistence. He lauded the annoying neighbor for his persistence and promised that the Father in heaven would give us what we asked for if we asked from our hearts.
If that be the case, then we all need to be annoying neighbors in prayer to God and plead with him for lasting peace in Israel and Ukraine. Let us not relent in our prayers till we are heard. Let us be persistent in praying to God in demanding peace in our time. Earlier this week the new Cardinal of Jerusalem pleaded with the world to pray for peace and called for a day of fasting and prayer for peace and reconciliation. I echo his call for prayer and ask everyone to follow along in solidarity:
“We ask that on Tuesday, October 17, everyone hold a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer. Let us organize prayer times with Eucharistic adoration and with the recitation of the Rosary to Our Blessed Virgin Mary.”
This week all the priests of the diocese are away on retreat together in Sacramento. We will continue to have the regular daily Masses at St. Simon thanks to our Jesuit brother priests and will have Eucharistic Adoration in the chapel on Tuesday from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. I ask all of you to attend and pray for peace, even if only for 10 minutes. Please fast and pray the whole day as you go about your daily activities. We will be praying with you from our retreat. Please include all the priests of the diocese of San Jose in your prayers. It is our annual retreat and we need this time of community and prayer together. It will be good for our souls in these difficult times in our world. We need to be strong in our prayer lives.
Speaking of being strong in our prayer lives, I remind you again to come to our parish retreat, Rekindle Your Spirit, on the weekend of the feast day of St. Simon – Friday & Saturday, October 27-28. This retreat will give you time to strengthen your prayer life and help build community. It will be filled with beautiful music, prayer places and nourishing food amongst other activities allowing you to be creative and reflective in places indoors and outside on our beautiful campus. We will now dedicate this retreat to a time of prayer for peace and reconciliation. We need each other in these difficult times. We need community.
Many of you have asked me about attending a portion of the retreat because you have some commitment for a few hours on Friday or Saturday. I would hate for you to miss the entire weekend because you need to miss a little. So, I say register and come to whatever part of it you can make. By all means, change your plans if you can but if not, then do not miss all of it because you can’t come to all of it. Come for whatever you can! The registration fee includes all meals and materials. Please register here.
Next, Saturday, October 21st, join the Hope & Wellness Ministry and others from 9:00 – 10:00 am for their 3rd Annual Walk to Grant Park and back in fellowship with others and for our wellbeing. The walk theme is Nature: A Path to Wellness & Spirituality. They are meeting outside the chapel doors and there will be refreshments after the walk. All are welcome! You can register your interest here.
God bless,
Fr. Brendan